A woman was shot dead outside an apartment in Phoenix, Arizona at 3:45 p.m. in what seems to be a domestic violence incident, according to Sgt. Jonathan Howard.
The man locked himself inside the apartment with a 10-month-old baby and an 11-year-old while police tried to negotiate with him.
The woman and two children were killed before a police officer was injured during a six-hour standoff with a gunman who barricaded himself inside the apartment on Christmas day, The Arizona Republic reported.
When police realized the children were dead, the gunman started shooting at the cops.
An officer who was injured during the shootout was transported to the hospital in stable condition, Sgt. Howard said.
The gunman, was taken into custody around 10 p.m. local time, according to police.